What comes next?

The leader of Libya’s interim government set up under the National Transition Council (NTC), Mustafa Abdel Jalil, has said that a commission of inquiry is to probe the ‘controversial’ killing of slain leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. According to the pathologist who conducted the autopsy, bullets were the cause of death. Well, no surprise there. The purpose of the inquiry is to investigate the legitimacy of his killing and the circumstances surrounding it. That begs the question of how exactly an open investigation is expected to be conducted following the reports of the burial of his body. Another pertinent concern is the credibility of the autopsy report and the ingenuity of an inquiry by a commission that was set up ‘under pressure’.

As is evident from the graphic images and video footages that continue to pour in, Gaddafi was alive and injured when captured and subsequently killed. Seeing as he was alive, he was then to be categorised as a prisoner of war. The horrid manner with which his dead body was made to suffer indescribable humiliation was a shuddering sight to have been exposed to by the western and global media. This undignified and barbaric treatment of the dead body of a former leader is not justified under any circumstances. It only signifies the defiance of ethical and humanitarian principles to be observed in the treatment of any prisoner of war and disrespect of the sanctity of human life. As suggested by the sequence of the footage which articulates a quite apparent narrative, his killing only substantiates the doubts regarding his execution and not the consequence of being caught in a cross-fire. The disgraceful management of Gaddafi’s decomposing body, which was stored in a refrigerator and made a monument for public display for four days, is merely a glimpse into the characteristics of the post-Gaddafi government that claims to be a ‘moderate Muslim nation’. On the day of declaring the liberation of Libya, NTC leader Abdel Jalil’s announcement of a shariah-based state insinuates the foundations of a seemingly Islamist-extremist oriented regime to follow. If this proves true politically and socially, it symbolises a disaster in the making.

Following the events that transpired in Libya and its self-proclaimed victory against dictatorship, there have been reports stating that the US has surreptitiously decided to arm the Syrian opposition in its fight against President Bashar al-Assad and are therefore prepping for an intervention, thus indicating Syria to be the next target of a military campaign. If these reports hold true, the US and NATO are only stoking the fire and they are setting a dangerous precedent of taking military action using the protection of civilians and setting up democracy as a ruse to acquire their imperialistic designs. The US pulling out its envoy from Syria for reasons of his safety being threatened should be taken as a warning for meddling in the internal affairs such as allegedly holding talks and meetings with the opposition and inciting the people to stand against the government. This burgeoning and seemingly unhindered imperialist intervention based on a fig leaf to justify their involvement will become the cause of an inevitable confrontation and will prove detrimental not only to regional stability but world peace. Such interference and blatant invasions of sovereignty of any nation are simply not acceptable and the world should not abide it. The Arab world, the Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) must take notice of this threat and unite against this intimidation, which will otherwise only embolden the imperialists to pursue their agenda.